Nancy Pelosi Predicts 'Democrats Will Stick With The President' On Fiscal Cliff Deal. REALLY?

[Segami]

Particularly upsetting to progressives is the fact that Obama campaigned against cutting Social Security benefits and in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts on income above $250,000.

Obama, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), had also previously told fiscal cliff negotiators that "Social Security is not going to be part of this."

That, clearly, turned out to not be the case.

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is convinced her fellow Democrats will get behind the White House's latest "fiscal cliff" deal that cuts Social Security benefits and increases taxes on the middle class. Others in the party, however, hedged on the likelihood of that provision passing with a majority of Democratic votes. President Barack Obama's latest offer in the fiscal cliff negotiations would allow the payroll tax holiday to expire, meaning middle-class workers will see smaller paychecks in 2013. It also proposes a Social Security reform known as "chained CPI" that would reduce the benefits senior citizens receive through Social Security.



Additionally, Obama's latest offer would permanently extend the Bush tax cuts for incomes of less than $400,000. Previously, the president had insisted that taxes increase on families with income above $250,000. Despite these changes, Pelosi said she could convince her caucus to get behind such a plan, if need be "Do you think you could sell it to your caucus?" MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asked Pelosi in an interview on Tuesday. "I do," replied Pelosi, adding, "Yes, the Democrats will stick with the president -- and maybe not every single one of them."



Pelosi certainly knows the temperature of her caucus better than any other lawmaker. And if she predicts that chained CPI could make it through, the likelihood is that she knows she can rally the votes to get it through. But other top officials were holding off on judgment for the time being.



- In a comment to HuffPost, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said, "We had an election, and the voters sent a message to Congress to focus on jobs and fairness -- not cutting benefits for people who have worked all their lives and are now making ends meet on fixed incomes. The formula we use to adjust cost-of-living changes for seniors needs to reflect the real costs they face, not the budgetary fantasies of Washington." Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) called chained CPI "a benefit cut -– pure and simple" in a statement on Tuesday. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said it was "a Beltway fig leaf that I will never support." Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said "at this stage [it] is the wrong way to go." Progressive advocacy groups such as CREDO, MoveOn, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Social Security Works all responded to the president's latest offer saying Social Security cuts were unacceptable. Durbin, however, also told HuffPost a few weeks ago that he would be willing to consider chained CPI "in a much broader context, not by itself."






cont'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/nancy-pelosi-fiscal-cliff_n_2324042.html

[SCliberal091294]

1. the deal will still be 1000000X better than romneys..

be happy about that

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I'm afraid that that is not good enough. Not by a long shot.

Apparently Obama lied to us.

[MjolnirTime]

4. How long have you been calling Obama a liar? Right around four years, eh?

[Segami]

5. If its not a lie then what would you call it?

[MjolnirTime]

6. a change in CPI is not a benefit cut. That is a fact.

Nothing is taken away.
Growth is slowed.

[Segami]

10. Well, 2014 will be the judge of it all.

[DJ13]

11. If inflation is higher than the COLA thats a cut from current benefits

[amborin]

16. it's cruel; many seniors are struggling and the colas are pathetic as is;

[patrice]

28. Growth is slowed, which could be offset by significantly reduced health care costs. nt

[daa]

35. If 10s of thousands out of my pocket isn't a CUT what s it?

Drug prices go up 10% every year and there is no substitution effect. Blood bath in 2014 if this goes through.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Oh, have you been keeping track of my posts? I think not.

I have not been calling him a liar for four years. It seems to me that he has done this sort of thing from time to time.

I am disappointed in him now, for going against what he campaigned on.

[sabrina 1]

46. Did you read the OP? It appears now that Pelosi is going along with these cuts to SS which means

'getting behind the president's proposal'. So who is lying again? Did the President say he would not back cuts to SS or not?

This proposal cuts SS benefits and it is outrageous.

[Liberalynn]

21. Agreed

[SugarShack]

14. Romney is a NON ISSUE! Obama is not running again, and has support of 78% of the people!

Fuck Obama....and why are you all surprised??? He's lied before for no reason...and now with NO reason, he fucks us again.

Why would he stop those from paying their share who make 250K-400K? The two wars have come due. Why should lower income workers pay porportionately more????? Like I said...fuck obama.

[limousineliberal]

39. Who told you they don't pay their fair share? I certainly pay a lot in taxes.

if anything, poorer people don't pay their fare share. Top 1% of Americans pay 40% of all taxes. So many Americans pay little to no taxes at all. I am a democrat but can not stand the class warfare mentality in the party. Sickening.

You are only angry because you're not in that position. I guarantee you wouldn't feel like you don't pay your fair share of taxes if you earned >250k.

[socialist_n_TN]

45. Yeah, the top 1% pay 40% of all taxes........

but they make (and hoard) 90% of the wealth. In addition, the wealthiest have received ALL of the increase in wealth over the last 30 years while worker's wages have stagnated. THAT IS THE REAL CLASS WARFARE. And as to your assertion as to what I would "feel like" if I made that kind of income, that is incorrect. Paying an extra couple thousand dollars on any income over $250k wouldn't break me. Also, I could live EXTREMELY comfortably on a lot less than $250k annually.

BTW, the word is "fair" not "fare". If you're going to lecture the working class, at least spell correctly.

Also this is a RW talking point.

[sabrina 1]

47. What do you mean by 'poorer people'?

[democrattotheend]

15. And much better than the deal we would have gotten in 2011

When the Republicans had a much stronger hand in the negotiations. We probably would have gotten a raise in the Medicare age and chained CPI then.

[sabrina 1]

48. Did we win or not? We now have to rely on the Senate Dems who have a majority which they got in

order to stop the lies about SS and to take it off the deficit table where it does not belong.

And of course the President now needs to let it be known that if such a travesty should pass the Senate, he will veto it as promised.

[bowens43]

20. not even close to justifying obama stabbing us n the back yet again

I had a feeling that as soon as the election was over he would go back to being the weak yes man that he was prior to the election.

make no mistake, boner is calling the shots and obama is just standing saying 'yes sir, whatever you say sir'

[Rocky888]

30. Romney didn't win!

And for us seniors in florida(my 60 yr old husband) cannot get affordable health care because Rick Scott has refused obamacare, this is a one way ticket to bankruptcy and poor health! We should not have to pay for the sins of the profiteers and their political allies with our future stability. I feel I have been betrayed by a party I have stood behind for all my adult life! And we have always lived within our means. Our modest home mortgage is our only debt.

[leftstreet]

3. ...says the politician who couldn't even hold onto her House

any hints why?

[MANative]

8. If the Democrats in the House "stick with the President" on this,...

there will be many voting Dems and Independents who will not be "sticking with" those who support this in the 2014 elections, myself included.

Called Chris Murphy's (D-5th Cong Dist, Sen-elect - CT) office in DC this afternoon to express my displeasure.

[newfie11]

32. Your not the only one

I am thoroughly disgusted with this. I feel we have been lied too and sold out. i will be voting independent if the chained CPI goes through. Of course it will be to late by then.

[democrattotheend]

38. Great idea

Attitudes like that are what got us a House full of teabaggers in 2010 and put the president and House Dems in the position of having to deal with them.

[MANative]

42. And I'm supposed to reward them with more support when they cave on the most...

important issues? I've only voted for exactly one Republican in more than thirty years of eligibility, a decent guy I knew personally for a local state senate race, but there are limits to my patience with betrayal.

[ProSense]

9. There is no deal.

The latest is that the WH rejected Boehner's offer.

White House Rejects Boehner’s Fiscal Cliff ‘Plan B’
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022020334

Leave Social Security out of this madness. It has nothing to do with the deficit.

[DJ13]

13. +1

[SugarShack]

18. Prosense, that is Boehner's deal. What about Obama's sellout plan? Is this the correct thread?

[ProSense]

19. There is no deal. Boehner's

latest offer was rejected by the WH and Pelosi.

Pelosi Statement on Republicans’ ‘Plan B’ Tax Proposal
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022022117

[Liberalynn]

23. I am reading the Huff Post article the same way you are Sugar Shack

that there is a seperate deal that Obama is offering which is different than Boner's plan B because of the following line: "President Barack Obama's latest offer"

Why would she even be talking about it in an interview in regards to whether she would be beyond a deal if there is no deal being offered or a deal that has already been rejected?

"Additionally, Obama's latest offer would permanently extend the Bush tax cuts for incomes of less than $400,000. Previously, the president had insisted that taxes increase on families with income above $250,000. Despite these changes, Pelosi said she could convince her caucus to get behind such a plan, if need be "Do you think you could sell it to your caucus?" MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asked Pelosi in an interview on Tuesday. "I do," replied Pelosi, adding, "Yes, the Democrats will stick with the president -- and maybe not every single one of them"

I would love to believe there is no deal already in the works based on this, but I think it would be a case of wishful denial.

[forestpath]

12. She wouldn't put impeachment on the table...but seniors? That's different!

I have never trusted her.

[SugarShack]

17. This is NOT ABOUT Nancy! This is Obama's plan he gave to Boner!

If you want to get smart....Calif should take HER OUT in 2014.

[forestpath]

22. I know it's Obama's plan. That doesn't preclude my being disgusted by Pelosi's eager

acquiesence.

[Liberalynn]

24. agreed

Only hope Ried doesn't cave in Senate.

Can't Dem's use Fillibuster like Repubs do to block this deal in Senate?

[forestpath]

25. I have no doubt they want to cut SS, too.

[Liberalynn]

33. You are probably right

[BlueStreak]

26. If we just give the Republicans one more chance, I'm sure they will become very reasonable

[Segami]

27. LOL!

[Liberalynn]

34. You're right. It is doubtful Harry will stand against them either.

Track record is not so good on that.

[Segami]

43. If roles were reversed with Republicans winning the 2012 WH hosting a

clear majority in the Senate AFTER winning a convincing mandate from the voters......my question is:

Would Republicans exploit their election MANDATE and fight Democrats like rabid dogs in order to pass the Bush Tax Cuts?


Well, Obama was given a mandate by the voters to bulldoze over every republican obstacle & obstruction tactics in order to deliver his campaign promises.


If we stray from those promises, Democrats shouldn't be the least surprised if 2014 turns out to become another 2010 redux all over again.

[patrice]

36. On that much, we agree. :-)

[Little Star]

29. 2014 will not be pretty if they touch SS.

[patrice]

31. What happened to all of that cheerleading for "There is no fiscal cliff, said Krugman,

Reich, and Dean" I used to see here at the DU?

[patrice]

37. End ALL Bush Tax Cuts. Raise the SS Cap. Close Loopholes. Raise bottom of the top tax bracket.

[WillyT]

40. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[bvar22]

41. This Nancy Pelosi??!!!

[font size=5]Go along to get Along?

Shocked I tell You![/font]



[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center]
[center][/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[RomneyLies]

44. Then the Democrats can move on without me.

No cuts to Social Security. I EARNED that money!